Ethan grabbed a cookie. “No, not yet.”
“How do you know she doesn’t already know who you really are? How can you be sure she’s not playing you?”
“I know. Harper’s not like that.”
Cam made a sound of disbelief in his throat. “I’ve heard that before.”
He had. Ethan recalled sitting in another kitchen uttering the same words. He believed them then, too, until he’d discovered how horribly wrong he’d been. He thought of Tessa liking him for what he could give her. Was Harper doing the same thing? Even though she didn’t know he owned Hainstock Investments, he was responsible for pouring money into her lodge. Money like that had the power to influence feelings, even unintentionally.
No. He wasn’t wrong about her. But worry clouded that judgement. After what he’d been through it was hard not to be suspicious of everyone’s motives.
Ethan glanced at his niece who stared back at him, her eyes wide. She may not understand what they were talking about, but she could feel the tension in their conversation.
“We’ll talk about this later, okay?”
Cam gave a curt nod and went back to making coffee. Ethan finished his chocolate chip cookie and turned his attention to Tessa. “How’s school going, pumpkin?”
“Good!” She launched into stories about the exploits of her nursery school friends. “Timmy and me made a snow fort. Timmy says he likes me better than the other girls.”
He chuckled at the idea of his five-year-old niece having a little boyfriend. He never imagined Cameron would have to start fighting off boys at this age, but Tessa was a beauty, and he was sure there would be many boys in her future.
“Do you like Timmy, too?” He grabbed another cookie and took a bite.
“Yeah, he’s nice. Sometimes he comes to our house with his daddy to visit Mommy and me.”
Ethan stopped chewing. Laura had a new boyfriend? He glanced up at his brother, whose jaw was clenched tight. Cameron’s relationship with Laura had been tempestuous from the very beginning. She was a piece of work, and Ethan had been relieved when she’d ended their relationship by cheating on Cam. But judging from his brother’s reaction, perhaps he still had feelings for her.
Christ, he hoped not.
Tessa didn’t seem to notice her father’s tension. Between sips of milk she continued to tell Ethan her stories. Cam poured two cups of coffee and then sat beside her.
Ethan was almost finished his coffee when a knock sounded at the door. Before Cam could answer it, Laura stepped inside the house. She ignored her daughter and Cam and focused her attention on him.
“Ethan! I thought that was your truck out there. It’s nice to see you again.”
Ethan did his best to be polite for Tessa’s sake. “How are you, Laura?”
“I’m great!” She slipped off her shoes at the door and slung her coat over one of the kitchen chairs. “I’ll have coffee, too, Cam. Two sugars.”
Cam didn’t get out of his chair. “I thought you had to take Tessa to her music lesson today.”
“Why can’t you take her?”
“I’m working. We’re just taking a coffee break.”
Laura waved a dismissive hand. “It’s not like you have to punch a clock. You can set your own hours.”
“Yes, I can. And I choose to work right now. I’ll get Tessa ready and you can take her to her lesson.”
“I have to be going, too,” Ethan said, getting to his feet. Laura wouldn’t leave unless he did. He put on his coat and kissed the top of Tessa’s head. “Bye, pumpkin.”
Laura made a pretty pout. “Oh, don’t go, Ethan. I was hoping we could catch up.”
After the way she’d cheated on his brother and continued to use him, he had nothing to say to the woman. He could barely stand to be in the same room with her. He never could figure out what Cam had seen in her. “I need to get back to the city. I’ll talk to you later, Cam.”
His brother nodded, his eyes clouded with barely repressed anger.
Laura gave a petulant sigh. “In that case, I’ll go. Hurry and get your coat, Tessa, or we’ll be late.”
Ethan didn’t wait around. With one last nod at Cam, he left the house and headed to his truck. On the drive back to Minneapolis, he couldn’t help comparing Harper to Laura. Harper was hard working where Laura depended on her parents and Cam to pay her way, only working at the local grocery store when it suited her. Harper was loyal to her family. Laura had betrayed Cam.
But as much as Ethan liked and admired Harper, he knew he had to protect himself. Money made people do strange things; Laura was a prime example. Before he’d won the lottery, she’d barely spoken him. But once she’d found out about his win, she’d made a concerted effort to seduce him, even though she’d still been with his brother at the time. Her actions today told him she hadn’t entirely given up.
Laura had been easy to resist. He’d seen through her thinly veiled come-on and felt only revulsion for her. But others had been far more clever in their deceit. He’d already made one bitter mistake with a beautiful woman.
He damn sure wouldn’t make another.
Harper curled her feet under her bottom and sipped her tea. They’d lit a fire in the lounge and, with the added help of a hot drink and a blanket to stave off the cold, she was happy and warm. She was glad that her sisters, both curled under blankets themselves, looked equally content.
“See what you’re missing by not living at the lodge anymore?” she said, half-jokingly.
“You mean the freezing cold blowing through the cracks in the logs? Yeah, I’ve really missed that,” Scarlet quipped. “I can hardly wait for my cold shower tomorrow morning.”
“Be fair. There’s always been plenty of hot water for your showers.”
“Yes, but once I step out of the shower, I’ll freeze to the floor tiles.”
“That’s to encourage you to hurry. You always were a bathroom hog.”
“Well, all that will be changing,” Maggie said. “In the future, the Solace Lake Lodge will no longer be the ice box it is today.”
Scarlet frowned. “I hope you know what you’re getting into, Harper.”
So do I. “I’ve done my homework, and I believe I’ve partnered with the right people.”
“You mean Ethan, don’t you?” Maggie said with a smile. “He seems nice.”
“I can see why you’re attracted to him. He’s certainly good-looking,” Scarlet said. “But is it a mistake to mix business with personal feelings?”
She worried about that, too. If the relationship between her and Ethan broke down, the lodge project could be in jeopardy. The thought of that happening, of some kind of problem ruining the trust and rapport they had now, was scary.
“You worry about me too much, Scarlet. I love you for it, but I have faith. It’s going to be okay.” She chose her next words carefully. “I wish you two were going to be part of this project. I wish you both were going to be here.”
“I can’t give up everything I’ve worked for. I have a career in Chicago, Harper. I’ve got friends, a condo, a life there. You know that,” Scarlet said.
“I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Scarlet reached over and extended her hand. “Like I said before, I’ll do what I can to help. When the time comes, I’ll come up with a marketing plan to help you advertise the lodge.”
Harper squeezed her sister’s hand. It meant a lot that Scarlet wanted to be part of her project, in spite of her reservations. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“And I’m sure Maggie is willing to volunteer her services as well.”
“I think I’ve been volun-told,” Maggie said with a smile. “But I’m happy to help you with anything I can.”
“I could use your help designing the kitchen and choosing the appliances and equipment. I want to make sure it has everything a professional chef needs.”
“I can do that.”
“If you decide to come home to work here, my off
er is still open.” Harper said the words with a laugh, but she was very serious. She couldn’t get her earlier conversation with Maggie out of her mind. Something was going on. It was clear she wasn’t happy. But Maggie had always been stubborn and determined. She’d sworn when she left home at eighteen that she was never coming back.
“I don’t know, Harper,” Maggie said. “I’m going to have to think about it.”
Maggie’s answer surprised her. She’d expected her usual rejection. The fact that she hadn’t vetoed the idea outright both delighted and worried her. Something was definitely wrong.
She wanted to ask but if she pushed, Maggie would clam up the way she had since she was a teenager. Instead, she plastered a sunny smile on her face. “You do that and I’ll ask you again later.” She decided the best thing to do was to change the subject. “I meant to ask if you got a new car. I didn’t recognize the one you and Scarlet pulled up in today.”
Maggie fiddled with the button of her cardigan. “No, that’s Scarlet’s rental. She picked it up at the airport when she flew in from Chicago.”
“Oh, I see. I thought you’d drive up in your red Toyota.”
“I don’t have the Toyota anymore.” Maggie picked up her teacup. “It needed a bunch of repairs, so I decided to get rid of it. I haven’t replaced it yet.”
Another surprise. Harper glanced at Scarlet, who gave a slight shrug that said Maggie hadn’t shared any information with her, either. It was a perfectly good explanation. Getting rid of a car that didn’t work made sense, but Harper suspected there was more to the story. “Oh.”
She wished she and her sisters could feel comfortable confiding the truth to each other. They were so intent on shielding one another from pain that no truths were shared, no unpleasantness revealed. Sometimes they acted like complete strangers. Harper wanted to know everything about them, the good and the bad, even the ugly. She wanted to help them in any way she could.
But then, she wasn’t exactly forthcoming either. As the oldest, she’d always believed she had to be strong for them, to protect them. So she’d put on a happy face and buried her hurts and worries.
She sank into the cushions of her armchair. Being the strong one was exhausting.
CHAPTER TEN
After breakfast the next morning, Scarlet and Maggie packed their things into the rental car. While the car ran for a few minutes to warm up, Harper gave them each a hug. “It was so wonderful seeing you,” she said as she kissed Maggie’s cheek.
“It was wonderful to see you, too.”
“I’ll be in touch about those kitchen appliances. When the time comes, we’ll go on a little shopping spree.”
“Sounds like fun. Take care, Harper.”
Harper kissed her again. “You too, honey. Call me when you get to Minneapolis so I know you got home safely.”
“I will.”
She turned to Scarlet. “Have a safe trip.”
Scarlet hugged her. “I will. And I want you to keep me up to date with the renovations on the lodge.”
“I’ll be happy to. Call me when you get back to your apartment in Chicago, okay?”
She bent to kiss her cheek. “You worry too much, but I’ll call.”
A few moments later they got in the car and, with a wave to Harper, they pulled out of the driveway. Harper closed the door against the cold and leaned against it.
Alone again.
She shoved away the wave of loneliness that threatened to swamp her. Having herself a little pity party would only make her feel worse. She’d learned that hard truth in the days after her grandfather’s death, when her sisters left and all the neighbors and friends went home to their own lives and families. Suddenly she’d been completely alone, with no one to look after, no real purpose in her life. She’d cried for three days until she became so sick she frightened herself. Finally, she forced herself to eat something, and came to terms with the fact that she was on her own. Completely.
Since then, she’d made a point to keep as busy as possible. She worked as many shifts as they would give her at the restaurant, and she’d expanded her bookkeeping business, picking up several new clients. She volunteered at the library in Minnewasta and in the winter, she helped at the local hockey rink by flipping burgers and serving customers in the concession booth. She even dated a few times, though she gave up after a few unsuccessful attempts. If she kept busy enough, worked hard enough, she almost forgot she was alone.
Almost, but not quite.
Enough. She pushed away from the door and headed up the stairs to strip the beds her sisters had slept in.
The cell phone in the pocket of her sweater began to vibrate. When she checked the call display, she saw Ethan’s name. Smiling, she pushed the talk button. “Good morning, Ethan.”
“Good morning. Are your sisters still there?”
“They just left. Scarlet’s flight back to Chicago leaves this afternoon so they needed to get an early start.”
“I hate that you’re all by yourself out there.”
She was touched that he worried about her and seemed to understand how alone, and lonely, she was sometimes. “I’m fine, really.”
He cleared his throat. “I wanted to let you know that the tenders went out today. I’ll come out to the lodge in a couple of weeks, and we can go over the bids together. The architect’s plans for the other buildings should be ready by then, too. And like I said, I, er, Mr. Hainstock wants me to stay at the lodge from that point on.”
Excitement filled her at the thought of Ethan being close by, possibly for months. “Sounds good.” She hesitated, unsure how much of her enthusiasm to reveal. “I’m glad you’re going to be staying. This is going to be a complex job, and we’ll need to stay on top of it every minute. I appreciate your help.”
“Are you going to continue working?”
“I have to if I’m going to keep up my truck payments and buy groceries. Besides, I have clients who depend on me, and Miller’s has already assigned shifts to me for the whole summer. I don’t want to let anyone down.”
“You worry more about other people than you do about yourself.”
“No, I don’t. I’m totally selfish. I’ve come up with this whole lodge project just so I don’t have to move.”
Ethan laughed softly, the sound caressing Harper’s soul. “Tell it to somebody who doesn’t know you as well as I do.”
Her throat closed, making it impossible to speak. He didn’t know her nearly as well as he thought he did. He didn’t know how sexually inexperienced she was. Or the real truth about her parents’ deaths.
“Harper? Are you still there?”
She swallowed and cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m here. I was thinking that if our general contractor was from far away, he could stay in the cottage beside yours if he wanted. He could even bring his family. When I need to move out of the lodge, I could borrow my friend’s trailer. He already said I could have it if I need it.”
If Ethan wondered why she changed the subject so abruptly, he didn’t say anything. “I think having a place to live might be an incentive for some contractors. I’ll make sure our bidders know about it.”
“Good. Thank you.” Guilt clogged her throat. More than anything in the world, she wanted a real, honest relationship with Ethan. But how could she have that if she couldn’t tell him the truth? All the truth.
“I miss you, Harper.”
Her heart heard the longing in his voice. “I miss you, too.”
“I’ll see you soon. Take care.”
“Goodbye.”
Harper ended the call, her heart pounding. Emotions swamped her. Exhilaration at the possibility of seeing him again, and guilt for hiding the truth.
She closed her eyes and prayed for courage. If their relationship was ever going to flourish, she’d need to come clean with him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Two weeks later, it was almost seven p.m. when Ethan pulled into the front yard of the old lodge. As he turned off the ignition, hi
s heart began to pound in anticipation. He’d never experienced anything like this. He’d dreamt of Harper, dreamt of touching her silky skin and making love with her. He’d woken in the middle of the night, sweating and aching with need.
But it wasn’t only a physical need. He longed to talk to her, hear her laugh, simply be in her company. Even if all they ever did was hold hands, he wanted to be with her.
He hoped to hell she wanted the same.
Guilt swiftly followed on the heels of that thought. How could he contemplate deepening the relationship between them when she didn’t know who he really was? He didn’t want to begin their relationship with a lie, but he’d let several weeks go by. If he told her the truth now, he could scuttle things with her before they even had a chance to start.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to do. He wouldn’t push her. If something was to happen between them, he’d let it happen naturally, let Harper take the lead. Then he’d tell her.
His course of action decided, Ethan jumped out of his truck and headed to the front door of the lodge. Harper flung the door wide open before he had a chance to knock. A smile of welcome lit her face. With one hand, she reached out and pulled him inside.
“Ethan.”
Only one word, just his name, but she packed a world of emotion in it. He could feel her longing and knew in an instant she understood everything he’d been experiencing because it was the same for her.
He pushed the door closed and gathered her in his arms, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her familiar lilac scent.
“Harper.”
He kissed her. She framed his face with both her hands and kissed him back. Her kiss was tender and sweet, with that hint of innocence he’d begun associating with her. However innocent, her touch sent his body up in flames.
Gradually she pulled away, her fingers tracing the lines of his face. His skin tingled under her feather-light touch. He grasped her hand and kissed the palm, his eyes never leaving hers. “God, I’ve missed you.”
Joy radiated in her smile. “I’ve missed you, too. I’m so happy you’re here.”
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